Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region 104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200 Glendale, California 91206 Phone: 818.500.1918 media@ancawr.org www.ancawr.org

PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 2, 2013

Contact: William Bairamian Tel: 818-500-1918

ANCA Town Hall Draws Actvists In Arizona

Phoenix, AZ – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region held a successful town hall meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on April 7, 2013. The ANCA town hall meeting, which drew a variety of activists from across the Phoenix area, was held in the spirit of the organization’s grassroots efforts, which are in the best tradition of American democracy. The meeting was held at the Phoenix Armenian Center, which is home to an active and vibrant community, including chapters of the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, and the Armenian Youth Federation.

“There is so much energy and potential in the Armenian American community in and around Phoenix, Arizona,” said ANCA-WR Executive Director William Bairamian. “One of the most remarkable aspects of our ANCA town hall was the diversity of the crowd. Some community members were born and raised in Phoenix, while others had recently come to Arizona from either the State of California or the East Coast. This is really a new community, which like Las Vegas and other western cities, is just beginning to see a dramatic growth in its population. And with the growth in population of Armenian Americans in Phoenix, we certainly expect to see a growth in the political activism among the community, from Tuscon, to Albequerque, Phoenix to Scottsdale,” Bairamian added.

Joining William Bairamian at the ANCA town hall meeting was ANCA-WR External Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. She traveled to Arizona a day before the town hall meeting to attend a banquet held by the Phoenix “Ararat” Armenian Relief Society chapter.

“I was pleased to bring our innovative brand of activism to Phoenix,” remarked Yerimyan after returning home from her trip to Arizona. “The ANCA town hall format offered a welcome opportunity to have a two way conversation with members of our community. This shared dialogue is a key to the ANCA’s success, because in every great endeavor, it takes team work to make the dream work,” Yerimyan added.

Arizona, over the past two decades, has seen its Armenian American community rapidly expand. The population increase has been matched by a growing interest in political activism in support of the Armenian Cause across the state.The ANCA town hall meeting offered a fresh opportunity for community members to ask questions about the efforts of the ANCA, the nation’s largest Armenian American grassroots organization.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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Attached: Photos